This weekend, some of the biggest names in science fiction, horror and
comics will descend on Louisville for FandomFest, which runs Friday
through Sunday at the Galt House and Kentucky International Convention Center.

William Shatner, Gene Simmons of KISS, Gillian Anderson of “X-Files”
fame, actor and director Kevin Smith and Spider-Man creator Stan Lee are
among the stars who will appear at the festival, billed as the largest
convention of its kind in the Midwest.

The convention covers
entertainment genres such as horror and anime films, steampunk
literature and video games. According to the founder of FandomFest, Ken
Daniels, the convention should appeal to fans of all kinds.

“We all want to escape sometimes,” Daniels said. “This is the greatest form of escapism ever.”

Daniels started what was to become FandomFest eight years ago as the
Fright Night Film Festival, focused on horror films. But Daniels had
hoped to expand it to include his other interests, like science fiction —
interests that many of his fellow horror fans also shared.

“Our ultimate goal was to take it to an all-fandom event,” he said.

What began with 600 attendees eight years ago grew to nearly 17,000
last year — although organizers had only expected 4,800. Daniels expects
more than 25,000 to attend this year, after expanding his advertising
to Indianapolis, Cincinnati and Nashville, Tenn.

While
FandomFest has had big-name guests before, notably the prolific horror
director John Carpenter in 2011, this year’s lineup is unusually
high-profile. “We grew slowly,” Daniels explained. “Other shows across
the country try to bring in 20 or 30 guests and fail.”

Attendees at this year’s FandomFest will get a chance to see Butch
Patrick, who played Eddie Munster in “The Munsters,” Jason Momoa from
“Game of Thrones,” and a handful of cast members from the TV shows “The
Walking Dead” and “Firefly.”

Most of the celebrity guests will
do question-and-answer sessions and sign autographs (some for an
additional fee). The festival will also hold separate, ticketed VIP
receptions for several of the headliners.